Christian quoter

English Christian male who is not backward in coming forward with opinions.

Friday, June 27, 2008

Procrastination - christiansquoting.org.uk

Never put off until tomorrow what you can put off indefinitely.

The hardest work in the world is that which should have been done yesterday.

Someday is not a day of the week.

We don't have anything as urgent as manyana in Ireland --Stuart Banks

They said procrastination wasThe source of all my sorrowI don't know what that big word means --I'll look it up tomorrowProcrastination is the grave in which opportunity is buried.

Defer not till to-morrow to be wise,To-morrow's sun to thee may never rise.William Congreve. 1670-1729. Letter to Cobham.As he that lives longest lives but a little while, every man may be certain that he has no time to waste. The duties of life are commensurate to its duration, and every day brings its task, which if neglected, is doubled on the morrow. But he that has already trifled away those months and years, in which he should have laboured, must remember that he has now only a part of that of which the whole is little; and that since the few moments remaining are to be considered as the last trust of heaven, not one is to be lost. -- Samuel Johnson, Rambler #71

Procrastination: Hard work often pays off after time, but laziness always pays off now. -- Larry Kersten

To-morrow is the day when idlers work, and fools reform, and mortal men lay hold on heaven. --Persius

No problem is too big it can't be run away from. Linus

While we are postponing, life speeds by. Seneca (B.C. 3-65 A.D.)

Procrastination is the thief of time:Year after year it steals, till all are fled,And to the mercies of a moment leavesThe vast concerns of an eternal scene.Young (1683-1765)

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Problems - christiansquoting.org.uk

I have yet to see any problem, however complicated, which, when you looked at it in the right way, did not become still more complicated. Paul Anderson

You must live with people to know their problems, and live with God in order to solve them. --Peter Taylor Forsyth (1848-1921)

The solution of every problem is another problem. -- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Don't duck the most difficult problems. That just insures that the hardest part will be left when you're most tired. Get the big one done- it's downhill from then on.Norman Vincent Peale (1898-1993)"Quotable Business," ed. Louis E. Boone, 1992

When you solve a problem, you ought to thank God and go on to the next one. - Dean Rusk (1909-____) On the Cuban missile crisis, in "Look," 6 Sep 1966.

Harman pushes discrimination plan

BBC says, "Equality minister Harriet Harman has set out plans to allow firms to discriminate in favour of female and ethnic minority job candidates.She said firms should be able to choose a woman over a man of equal ability if they wanted to - or vice versa."

So it is OK to discriminate against men in general and the majority community in particular. Harman's post should be renamed as the minister for inequality and social engineering.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

More from my favorite Anglican leader

Telegraph reports, 24/06/2008 "The Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali, the Bishop of Rochester, claimed the declining importance of the church was creating a "double jeopardy" situation where faith was being challenged at a time when society would most benefit.

He said believers needed to "recover their nerve" and spread the Gospel again.

The outspoken bishop, who earlier this week told those who tolerate homosexuality in the clergy to repent, also said he was "frustrated" that decisions which had been made in the church had not been stuck to.

Dr Nazir-Ali was greeted with a standing ovation as he gave a speech to a breakaway summit in Jerusalem of more than 1,000 traditionalists from across the Anglican Communion who oppose gay priests and the blessing of same-sex unions.

He did not say that divisions over sexuality would lead to a schism in Anglicanism, and referred to unity being a "very precious thing".

Instead he called on those in the church to concentrate on mission – trying to convert those of other faiths and with no faith to Christianity.

Dr Nazir-Ali, who earlier this year claimed the decline of Christianity had led to a collapse of Britishness, said: "The greatest challenge is that of militant secularization, which is creating a double jeopardy for western cultures.

"It is losing its Christian discourse at the very time when it needs it most.

"Let us pray that we are able to recover our Christian nerve in the west and make sure the Gospel is not lost, and that all that is valuable in western culture – much of which comes from its Judeo-Christian background – will survive as a way to enhance cultures in the west and renew them once again."

He said he could not apologise for wanting to explain Christianity to Muslims and to great laughter he added: "That's not the only thing I want to do to them."

The Pakistan-born bishop repeated his claim that the church began its decline in influence when parents stopped passing the faith on to their children.

"Don't blame anyone else," he said.

Dr Nazir-Ali said when changes took place in society they must be assessed against the Bible to see whether they should be accepted, and should not just be waved through.

He said those who were attending Gafcon, many of whom like him are boycotting the once-a-decade Lambeth Conference gathering of bishops because of their opposition to liberals over homosexuality, were at the forefront of a revival of Anglicanism.

"You are the miraculous beginning of a movement for the renewal of the church."

The bishop suggested that the current structure of Anglicanism was not good enough to deal with its divisions over sexuality, which have seen American liberals consecrate an openly gay bishop in defiance of church rules.

"In the crisis that is facing us we have found this [structure] to be not enough. In the end it was based on English good manners and in our world English good manners are simply not enough."

He went on: "I believe there are some things that do need attention.

"We need to have councils that can make decisions that stick. In the last few years I have been frustrated by decision after decision after decision that has not stuck.

"We cannot have this in the future for a healthy church."

Later the bishop said militant secularism often came from the state in Britain.

He said: “Christian ideas about the sanctity of the human person at the beginning and the end of life are being denied either on the basis of scientific progress or crude utilitarianism, which speaks of the greatest good for the greatest number, or leaving the 'yuck’ factor to decide what is permissible for people.”

Dr Nazir-Ali added, returning to the theme of parents not passing on religion to their chlidren: “Many of society’s problems particularly in young people are related to the fact that so many have not experienced a stable family life. So many have grown up without a recognisable father figure.”

The bishop also disclosed that the Archbishop of Canterbury has been in touch with him to discuss his refusal to attend Lambeth and said: “He regrets my position.”

He also said that Anglicanism needed a covenant “with teeth” to make sure there is not another crisis if one church breaks the accepted rules.

Probability - christiansquoting.org.uk

Privacy - christiansquoting.org.uk

The personal life of every individual is based on secrecy, and perhaps it is partly for that reason that civilized man is so nervously anxious that personal privacy should be respected. Anton Chekhov

If you would be known and not know, vegetate in a village. If you would know and not be known, live in a city. Charles Caleb Colton

We are rapidly entering the age of no privacy, where everyone is open to surveillance at all times; where there are no secrets from government. -William G. Douglas

I never said, 'I want to be alone.' I only said, 'I want to be left alone.' There is all the difference. Greta Garbo

Things have come to a pretty pass when religion is allowed to invade the sphere of private life.- Viscount Melbourne

The poorest man may in his cottage bid defiance to all the force of the Crown. It may be frail; its roof may shake; the wind may blow through it; the storms may enter, the rain may enter, - but the King of England cannot enter; all his forces dare not cross the threshold of the ruined tenement! William Pitt

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Priorities - christiansquoting.org.uk

The moment you wake up each morning, all your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning consists in shoving it all back; in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other, larger, stronger, quieter life coming flowing in. C.S. Lewis (1898-1963)

No one can maintain more than three priorities. If you have a job you care about, that's a priority. If you have a family, that's a priority. Which leaves one more. Maybe it's staying in shape, maybe it's volunteering at your church. Most people understand this intuitively. But they keep overcommiting themselves and overcomplicating their lives. So my advice is simple: figure out what your priorities are, and say "no" to everything else. --Elaine St. James

Monkey business

BBC says, " A group of Indians are planning to present a statue of the revered Indian monkey God, Hanuman, to Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. The group decided to order the idol after they read a magazine report saying that Mr Obama carried a good luck 'monkey king' charm. Hindus revere monkeys which they believe are descendents of the monkey God Hanuman. The two-foot tall, 15kg gold-polished, brass idol has been made as a present for Mr Obama because "he will be good for India if he becomes the next president," according to Brij Mohan Bhama, leader of the group. "We have heard that he carries a small monkey charm in his pocket. So he is a devotee of Hanuman. That's why we want to present him with this idol," he said. "

So has Obama any Christian principles? Not if he carries charms and receives idols. Will he accept the idol and lose Christiam votes or take it to gain Hindu ones?

Monday, June 23, 2008

Pride - christiansquoting.org.uk

Pride is the deadliest of sins, but I was bursting with pride. Jonathan Aitken in The Tablet. 12 June 1999

'I will cut out the cancer of bent and twisted journalism with the simple sword of truth'. These were insensitive words of pride which came back to haunt me. Jonathan Aitken in The Tablet. 12 June 1999

Other sins find their vent in the accomplishment of evil deeds, whereas pride lies in wait for good deeds, to destroy them.---Augustine (354-430)

There is nothing so agonizing to the fine skin of vanity as the application of a rough truth. --Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton

Spiritual pride in its own nature is so secret, that it is not so well discerned by immediate intuition on the thing itself, as by the effects and fruits of it; some of which I would mention, together with the contrary fruits of pure christian humility. Spiritual pride disposes to speak ofother persons' sins, their enmity against God and his people, the miserable delusion of hypocrites, and their enmity against vital piety, and the deadness of some saints, with bitterness, or with laughter and levity, andan air of contempt; whereas pure christian humility rather disposes, either to be silent about them, or to speak of them with grief and pity. Spiritual pride is very apt to suspect others; whereas an humble saint is most jealous of himself; he is so suspicious of nothing in the world as he is of his own heart. The spiritually proud person is apt to find fault with other saints, that they are low in grace; and to be much in observing how cold and dead they are; and being quick to discern and take notice of their deficiencies. But the eminently humble Christian has so much to do at home, and sees so much evil in his own heart, and is so concerned about it, that he is not apt to be very busy with other hearts; he complains most of himself, and complains of his own coldness and lowness in grace. He is apt to esteem others better than himself, and is ready to hope that there is nobody but what has more love and thankfulness to God than he, and cannot bear to think that others should bring forth no more fruit to God's honour than he. Some who have spiritual pride mixed with high discoveries and great transports of joy, disposing them in an earnest manner to talk to others, are apt, in such frames, to be calling upon other Christians about them, and sharply reproving them for their being so cold and lifeless. There are others, who in their raptures are overwhelmed with a sense of their own vileness; and, when they have extraordinary discoveries of God's glory, are all taken up about their own sinfulness; and though they also are disposed to speak much and very earnestly, yet it is very much in blaming themselves, and exhorting fellow-Christians, but in a charitable and humble manner. Pure christian humility disposes a person to take notice of every thing that is good in others, and to make the best of it, and to diminish their failings; but to gave his eye chiefly on those things that are bad in himself, and to take much notice of every thing that aggravates them.In a contrariety to this, it has been the manner in some places, or at least the manner of some persons to speak of almost every thing that they see amiss in others, in the most harsh, severe, and terrible language. It is frequent with them to say of others' opinions, or conduct, or advice--or of their coldness, their silence, their caution, their moderation, their prudence, &c.--that they are from the devil, of from hell; that such a thing is devilish, or hellish, or cursed, and that such persons are serving the devil, or the devil is in them, that they are soul-murderers, and the like; so that the words devil and hell are almost continually in their mouths. And such kind of language they will commonly use, not only towards wicked men, but towards them whom they themselves allow to be the true children of God, and also towards ministers of the gospel and others who are very much their superiors. And they look upon it as a virtue and high attainment thus to behave themselves. Oh, say they, we must be plain hearted and bold for Christ, we must declare war against sin wherever we see it, we must not mince the matter in the cause of God and when speaking for Christ. And to make any distinction in persons, or to speak the more tenderly, because that which is amiss is seen in a superior, they look upon as very mean for a follower of Christ when speaking in the cause of his Master. What a strange device of the devil is here, to overthrow all christian meekness and gentleness, and even all show and appearance of it, and to defile the mouths of the children of God, and to introduce the language of common sailors among the followers of Christ, under a cloak of high sanctity and zeal, and boldness for Christ! And it is a remarkable instance of the weakness of the human mind, and how much too cunning the devil is for us!Jonathan Edwards , Adoption of Wrong Principles (Thoughts on the Revival of Religion).

There is one vice of which no man in the world is free; which every one in the world loathes when he sees it in someone else; and of which hardly any people, except Christians ever imagine that they are guilty themselves....The essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride. Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere fleabites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil; Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind...As long as you are proud you cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you...~ C.S Lewis, Mere Christianity

The vice I am talking about is Pride or Self-Conceit: and the virtue opposite to it, in Christian morals, is called Humility. You may remember, when I was talking about sexual morality, I warned you that the centre of Christian morals did not lie there. Well, now we have come to the centre. According to Christian teachers, the essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride. Unchastity, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere flea-bites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind. ... C. S. Lewis (1898-1963)

Pride makes us artificial and humility makes us real. -- Thomas Merton (1915-1968), No Man Is An Island (1955)

God sends no one away empty except those who are full of themselves. D L Moody

Pride is a blossom of ashes. Bitter in the mouth, sharp to the nose,stinging to the eyes, and blown away on the first wind from themountains. Plant no pride, lest you harvest shame.-- character Esmay Suiza in Elizabeth Moon's _Once a Hero_, (1997)

A heap of dust alone remains of thee.Tis all thou art,and all theproud shall be.Alexander PopeIf killed, pride revives. If buried, it bursts the tomb. You may hunt down this fox and think you have destroyed it, and lo, your very exultation is pride. --Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892) _Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit_ [1883]

Pride is the shirt of the soul, put on first and put off last.GEORGE SWINNOCK

Huddled in dirt the reasoning engine lieswho was so proud, so witty, so wise.John WilmanThere is such a thing as a man too proud to fight.-Woodrow Wilson reacts to the sinking of the Lusitania on 7 May 1915

Presuppositions - christiansquoting.org.uk

The mind of modern man is a curious mixture of decayed Calvinism and diluted Buddhism; and he expresses his philosophy without knowing that he holds it. We [i.e., Catholics] say what it is natural for us to say; but we know what we are saying; therefore it is assumed that we are saying it for effect. He says what it is natural for him to say; but he does not know what he is saying, still less why he is saying it . . . He is just as partisan; . . . just as much depending on one doctrinal system as distinct from another. But he has taken it for granted so often that he has forgotten what it is. So his literature does not seem to him partisan, even when it is. But our literature does seem to him propagandist, even when it isn't. G K Chesterton {The Thing, NY: Sheed & Ward, 1929, p. 120}

The discussions of every age are filled with the issues on which its leading schools of thought differ. But the general intellectual atmosphere of the time is always determined by the views on which the opposing schools agree. They become the unspoken presuppositions of all thought, and common and unquestioningly accepted foundations on which all discussion proceeds. - F.A. Hayek

Sit down before fact as a little child, be prepared to give up every preconceived notion, follow humbly wherever and to whatever abyss nature leads, or you shall learn nothing.-- Thomas Henry Huxley

Assumptions based on faith are apparently an ever-present component in any system of belief -- whether these assumptions include the existence of a personal God, or whether they begin with non-rational directionally-emergent forces governed by statistical probabilities. Our argument does not claim that evidences are so clear that faith is not needed. We do intend to imply, however, that the choice of a set of assumptions is a moral choice. Adherence to an epistemology is not something which merely "happens to" a person, but instead it reflects a component of his moral development. In some sense he is, in my judgement, morally responsible for adopting an epistemology even though it can be neither proved nor disproved to the satisfaction of those who oppose it.Kenneth L. Pike, With Heart and Mind [1962]

We have no right to assume that any physical laws exist, or if they have existed up until now, that they will continue to exist in a similar manner in the future. - Max Planck (1858-1947) The Universe in the Light of Modern Physics.

On seeing two women arguing across the street-"They will never agree. They are arguing from different premises. Sydney Smith

We want the facts to fit the preconceptions. When they don't, it is easier to ignore the facts than to change the preconceptions. Jessamyn West

Blaming

The Telegraph says, "Gordon Brown will today blame Margaret Thatcher for Britain's low rates of social mobility and accuse the former Conservative Prime Minister of creating a lost generation by "denying many children the chance to progress".

The social mobility reduced by Maggie was her support for comprehensive secondary schools when Education Secretary. Grammar schools gave a meritocratic pursuit of excellence. Comprehensives are the nurseries of mediocrity.

Bishops criticise Anglican leader

BBC says, " Conservative Anglican leaders have opened talks in Jerusalem on the future of the Church with criticism of its leader, the Archbishop of Canterbury.The Archbishops of Nigeria and Uganda attacked his failure to discipline the US Episcopal Church for consecrating an openly gay bishop in 2003.The 300 bishops are meeting to discuss the future of the worldwide Anglican Communion, amid fears of a split.Many of them say liberals are rewriting the Bible to fit modern trends."The Communion is in a state of brokenness," said Nigerian Archbishop Peter Akinola at the opening of the Global Anglican Future Conference (Gafcon), which brings together conservative Anglican leaders, many from developing countries.

BBC religious affairs correspondent Robert Piggot, who is at the conference, says the talks are in effect a rival to next month's Lambeth Conference - a 10-yearly gathering of Anglican bishops from all over the world.Many attending the Jerusalem talks have threatened to boycott the July meeting.Our correspondent says the Gafcon delegates are also drawing up what amounts to a blueprint for an alternative Anglican Communion.The traditionalist meeting is a clear signal to other Anglicans of their willingness to give up their links with Canterbury if that is what it takes to return to what they consider to be the Biblical values of the first Christians, he adds."We want unity... but not at the cost of re-writing the Bible to accommodate the latest cultural trend," a booklet issued by the conference's organisers said.However, Archbishop Akinola stopped short of saying a schism in the 77-million-strong Communion was imminent.Our correspondent says the conservatives are angered not only by the US Episcopal Church's stance on homosexual priests, but also by the leadership of the Communion's failure to discipline the US faction.

Archbishop Henri Orombi of Uganda was among those who called on the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, to take a stronger stance."We have been on fire for quite a while, and he just cannot leave us burning and delay. At what time will you salvage us?" he asked."Supposing another part of the communion begins to do something which is contrary to the word of God, how is it going to stand up and say no to that? That's my challenge."

The traditionalist lobby at work in Jerusalem cannot be ignored.The centre of gravity in the Communion has shifted steadily south as Anglican churches in developing countries have grown, and those in the developed world have shrunk.Even if they retain a sentimental attachment to the Communion, African and Asian church leaders are not inclined to adopt what they see as changes in theology imposed by the former colonial churches that first brought them the Bible.""

Amen. I hear it rumoured that Cantuar may stand down. It is all to much for a liberal whose hear is with the homosexualists but whose head knows his task is maintaining the union of episcopal communion world wide. If Williams goes I think Sentanmu the likely candidate. After all, Downing Street may think who better to sort out the problem than an African?

Sunday, June 22, 2008

German Court Jailing Homeschool Parents

HSLDA reports, "On Wednesday, June 18, a district court in the German state of Hesse sentenced Jurgen and Rosemary Dudek each to three months in prison simply because they homeschool their seven children.

HSLDA condemns this court ruling in the strongest possible terms. Good parents who love and care for their children should never be sentenced to prison for doing what is best for their children. Germany is a Western nation and should know better.

HSLDA will be helping the Dudeks with their appeals, but German courts have so far consistently ruled against homeschoolers.

More information will be forthcoming as this story develops, and we will keep you informed. In the meantime, please remember the Dudeks in your thoughts and prayers. The family welcomes notes of encouragement which can be sent to:

Friday, June 20, 2008

Presumption - christiansquoting.org.uk

If thou shalt remain faithful and zealous in labour, doubt not that God shall be faithful and bountiful in rewarding thee. It is thy duty to have a good hope that thou wilt attain the victory: but thou must not fall into security lest thou become slothful or lifted up. Thomas a Kempis (1380-1471)

Presbyterian - christiansquoting.org.uk

I started life as a Presbyterian, where "You may be seated" is one of the most exciting part of those services

QUESTION: What's the difference between a Presbyterian and a Baptist?ANSWER: A Presbyterian will speak to you in a liquor store.

He advised that Methodists be accepted as jurymen because their religious emotions can be transmuted into love and charity; but warned against taking Presbyterians because they knew right from wrong. -- Harry Golden, _For 2¢ Plain_ (ON CLARENCE DARROW)

POLICE STATE, GERMANY

Hitler passed a law outlawing homeschooling. Germany still keeps this Nazi law.

June 18, 2008 Bob Unruhreports in WorldNetDaily

"A mother and father who have been homeschooling their children each have been ordered by a German judge to serve three-month prison terms after a prosecutor said he was unhappy with fines the family paid and he wanted the parents jailed.

The sentences for Juergen and Rosemarie Dudek were announced in Germany's equivalent of a district court today in the state of Hesse, according to a staff attorney for the Home School Legal Defense Association. The group, the premier homeschooling advocacy organization in the world, has been monitoring and helping in the Dudeks' case since before a federal prosecutor announced his intention more than a year ago to see the parents behind bars.

He said the prosecutor's agenda is clear, with the mindset: "You guys are rebelling against the state. We're going to punish you."

Donnelly said work was begun immediately to pursue an appeal through the court system in the German state.

He described the sentences as "breathtaking."

It was just a year ago when WND reported the prosecutor, Herwig Muller, appealed a lower court's imposition of fines against the Dudeks.

The prosecutor said at the time he would demand jail sentences of three months each for the parents. Muller also said he would not permit the case to be resolved with probation for the parents.

A newspaper reporter in Hesse, Harald Sagawe, said the parents previously paid fines because "they did not send their children to school, for religious reasons."

He continued, "The parents, Christians who closely follow the Bible, teach their children themselves. Two years ago the court had also dealt with the Dudeks. That case, dealing with the payment of a fine, had been dropped."

Judge Peter Hobbel, who imposed the fines, also criticized school officials for refusing to answer the family's request for approval of their "private school."

Arno Meissner, the chief of the government's local education department, said he would enforce the mandatory school attendance law against the family, and he said he resented the judge's interference.

"His duty is to make a judgment when the prosecutor brings a charge and to stay out of administrative matters," Meissner said at the time.

The attitude is typical of some officials in Germany, where homeschooling has been stamped on since the Nazi era, critics say.

Practical Homeschool Magazine has noted one of the first acts by Hitler when he moved into power was to create the governmental Ministry of Education and give it control of all schools and school-related issues.

In 1937, the dictator said, "The youth of today is ever the people of tomorrow. For this reason we have set before ourselves the task of inoculating our youth with the spirit of this community of the people at a very early age, at an age when human beings are still unperverted and therefore unspoiled. This Reich stands, and it is building itself up for the future, upon its youth. And this new Reich will give its youth to no one, but will itself take youth and give to youth its own education and its own upbringing."

Joerg Grosseleumern, a spokesman for the the Netzwork-Bildungsfreiheit, a German homeschool advocacy group, said in Hesse a family's failure to follow the mandatory public school attendance laws violates not only administration regulations but the criminal code.

"It is embarrassing the German officials put parents into jail whose children are well educated and where the family is in good order," he wrote in an earlier alert about the situation. "We personally know the Dudeks as such a family."

Officials in Hesse have said not even the family's efforts to move out of the region would halt their prosecution.

HSLDA officials estimate there are some 400 homeschool families in Germany, virtually all of them either forced into hiding or facing court actions.

Just weeks ago, WND reported the Dudeks warned about a new German federal law that also gives family courts the authority to take custody of children "as soon as there is a suspicion of child abuse," which is how the nation's courts have defined homeschooling.

"The new law is seen as a logical step in carving up family rights after a federal court had decided that homeschooling was an abuse of custody," said the letter from Juergen Dudek to the HSLDA.

The letter said local "youth welfare" offices' new authority includes "withdrawal of parental custody as one of the methods for punishing 'uncooperative' parents."

Wolfgang Drautz, consul general for the Federal Republic of Germany, has commented on the issue on a blog, noting the government "has a legitimate interest in countering the rise of parallel societies that are based on religion."

Drautz said schools teach socialization, and as WND reported, that is important, as evident in the government's response when a German family in another case wrote objecting to police officers picking their child up at home and delivering him to a public school.

"The minister of education does not share your attitudes toward so-called homeschooling," said a government letter in response. "... You complain about the forced school escort of primary school children by the responsible local police officers. ... In order to avoid this in future, the education authority is in conversation with the affected family in order to look for possibilities to bring the religious convictions of the family into line with the unalterable school attendance requirement."

In recent years Germany has established a reputation for cracking down on parents who object, for reasons ranging from religious to social, to the nation's public school indoctrination of their children.

WND has reported several times on custody battles, children being taken into custody and families even fleeing Germany because of the situation.

One of the higher-profile cases on which WND has reported was that of a teen who was taken by police to the psychiatric ward because she was homeschooled.

The courts ruled it was appropriate for a judge to order police officers to take Melissa Busekros, 15 at the time, into custody in January 2007.

Officials later declined to re-arrest her after she turned 16. She was subject to different requirements and simply fled state custody and returned to her family."

Germany remains a totalitarian state in the sphere of education. Tell that to the EUrophiles who want us lost in a federal EUSSR.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Prejudice- christiansquoting.org.uk

No man ever looks at the world with pristine eyes. He sees it edited by a definite set of customs and institutions and ways of thinking. - Ruth Benedict (1887-1948) "Patterns of Culture," ch. 1, 1934

he eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend. -- Henri Bergson

Prejudices, it is well known, are most difficult to eradicate from the heart whose soil has never been loosened or fertilised by education; they grow there, firm as weeds among stones." - Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre

Who needs debate, the Left rationalizes, when those who disagree are bigoted, homophobic, sexist pigs? Dealing with their arguments is a just a waste of time. In this model, dissenters begin to look less and less like members of society with a right to their own opinions and more and more like speed bumps on the road to social change. -- Tammy Bruce, _The New Thought Police_, 2001

Birds are taken with pipes that imitate their own voices, and men with those sayings that are most agreeable to their own opinions. Samuel Butler

People only see what they are prepared to see.... Ralph Waldo Emerson

There is no way of proving your point to someone whose income or position depends on believing the contrary. ~Sidney Harris, "Pieces of Eight"

What we perceive and understand depends upon what we are. --Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) _Ends and Means_ [1937], "Beliefs"

I'm not going to disguise the fact that I despise Ronald Reagan.Justin Kaplan, editor of Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 16th ed., on his near-exclusion of Regan quotes.

Too many of our prejudices are like pyramids upside down. They rest on tiny, trivial incidents, but they spread upward and outward until they fill our minds. - William McChesney Martin, 1906 - 1998

How strange it is to see with how much passion People see things only in their own fashion~Jean Molière, The School for Wives : A Comedy in Five Acts (1662)

Man prefers to believe what he prefers to be true.--Montaigne, _Essays_

Everyone is a prisoner of his own experiences. No one can eliminate prejudices -- just recognize them. -- Edward R. Murrow

We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are.- Anais Nin (1903 &endash; 1977)

Prejudice is one of the world's greatest labor-saving devices; it enables you to form an opinion without having to dig up the facts. ~ Laurence Peter

The only man who behaves sensibly is my tailor; he takes my measure anew each time he sees me, while all the rest go on with their old measurements and expect them to fit me. -- George Bernard Shaw

We want the facts to fit the preconceptions. When they don't, it is easier to ignore the facts than to change the preconceptions. Jessamyn West

Nature's noblemen are everywhere, in town and out of town, gloved and rough-handed, rich and poor. Prejudice against a lord because he is a lord, is losing the chance of finding a good fellow, as much as prejudice against a ploughman because he is a ploughman.-- Nathaniel Parker Willis, 19thC

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

The dependency culture

I have now come across three people I know who have been told by people in authority that they should stop work and be better off.

The first is a single mother of three working part time and behind with council tax due to the mistakes of her local housing benefit department. She stopped work. For her work was a fulfilling therapy which got her out of the house. When she went back to part time work she immediately received a bill for all her tax debt from the council. What a disincentive to gainful employment.

The second is a man working on low pay for a charity. With a growing family and money very short he sought help and was told he should stop work and be better off on benefits.

The third is another part time worker. Once again, returning to work meant a mess up with housing benefits and a demand for council tax. A court summons resulted. She went to contest it and at the court asked for a duty solicitor. An unidentified woman came and started asking her questions. It turned out she was not a duty solicitor but an officer of the local authority. She was agressive and ill informed about the worker's case. Once again she said the debtor should stop work.

I have tried to raise press interest about public sector employees who encourage the dependency culture. It keeps these bums on their seats The media do not seem to care. Who does apart from this disgruntled tax payer and employer?

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Muslim children in Britain 'brought up to hate their homeland'

Duncan Gardham, Security Correspondent of the Telegraph reports on 11/06/2008"Radical British Muslims have formed chatrooms to discuss adopting orphans and bringing up children to be Islamic fighters, a study has found.

The teachings of Omar Bakri Mohammed are popular on radical sitesDiscussions on a number of radical websites have asked how children should be brought up to be "mujahideen" and whether they should be pulled out of mainstream schools.

Other participants boast of how their children threaten to kill "kuffar" [non-believers] and complain that the Shakespeare being taught in schools is "full of homosexuality, fornication and adultery."

The Centre for Social Cohesion says radical Muslims are using the internet to create a "virtual Islamic caliphate" and calls on the government to launch a crack down.

According to the Centre for Social Cohesion, a think tank which has been monitoring radical websites, users of a site called www.islambase.co.uk discussed the possibility of adopting children and bringing them up on May 3 this year.

The site, which is based at a post office box in Glasgow and protected by a password, is used by the followers of the radical preacher Omar Bakri Mohammed, who lived in North London until he fled to the Lebanon in 2005.

"Hamza", one visitor to the site on 23 March this year, wrote about a friend's account of what his nine-year-old son, Rashid, had told him he would say if his father was killed by the kuffar [non-believers].

He said the boy told him: "I don't care if you kill me cause I'm not afraid of you or to die for Allah, and I'll have a lot of wives in jennah [heaven] insha allah and I'll be with my dad in jennah too and we will have fun doing what we want there if Allah lets us.

"Don't kill my dad or you will be in trouble with me, I swear by Allah."

One reader, 'Mujahidinbeeston', the area of Leeds where the July 7 bombers came from, responded to the post by writing: "Mashallah [thanks be to god]...We could all learn something from the behaviour of children sometimes!! They sometimes say things so basic and plain, that when contemplated, makes so much sense!"

A British woman who runs a blog called www.unitedummah.wordpress.com often writes of how she aims to pass on her views to her two and a half year old daughter, according to the Centre for Social Cohesion.

In one entry from December 2007, she wrote: "Al-Hamdulillah [thanks be to god] though, she knows the difference between a kaafir and a Muslim. Some days she'll stand at the window telling me she's looking at the kaafir go by. Other days when I speak to her about Sheikh Usaamah, she'll think about it and reply with 'Go away kaafir', and raise her hand as if to hit someone."

Writing of her daughter's schooling, she said: "How can we say 'Laa ilaaha illallaah' [there is no god but Allah] and allow our children to be educated (and dictated) by the kuffaar in school everyday?

"With the introduction in the last few years of citizenship into the curriculum, we are allowing our children to be taught that they must give allegiance to the Queen, and have hatred towards our great scholars and mujaahideen.

"In English, as part of GCSE, they must study Shakespeare, whose books are full of homosexuality, fornication and adultery, each of which are great sins in Islam."

The words of Omar Bakri Mohammed are popular on the sites and in one speech at www.sawtulislam.com in April 2008, he said children should be brought up to become capable of spreading Islam through dawa [prozelytising] or through jihad: "Develop them and build them properly to become capable to carry the dawa and capable to carry the task whether in the dawa field or in the jihad battlefield."

James Brandon, author of the report, Virtual Caliphate, said the internet was offering an alternative forum for Muslims who have been forced out of mosques.

Mr Brandon has found evidence that the sites include sermons by Abu Hamza, who is currently in jail for incitement to murder, and fellow preacher Abu Izzadeen, jailed for a similar offence earlier this year, as well as Abdullah al-Faisal, jailed and then deported."

Predestination - christiansquoting.org.uk

Predestination was doomed from the start.

When they inquire into predestination, they are penetrating the sacred precincts of divine wisdom. If anyone with carefree assurance breaks into this place, he will not succeed in satisfying his curiosity and he will enter a labyrinth from which he can find no exit. For it is not right for man unrestrainedly to search out things that the Lord has willed to be hidden in Himself; nor is it right for him to investigate from eternity that sublime wisdom, which God would have us revere but not understand, in order that through this also He should fill us with wonder. He has set forth by His Word the secrets of His will that He has decided to reveal to us. These He decided to reveal in so far as He foresaw that they would concern and benefit us. ... John Calvin (1509-1564), The Institutes of the Christian Religion (III, xxi, 1)

For Scripture is the school of the Holy Spirit, in which, as nothing is omitted that is both necessary and useful to know, so nothing is taught but what is expedient to know. Therefore we must guard against depriving believers of anything disclosed about predestination in Scripture, lest we seem either wickedly to defraud them of the blessing of their God or to accuse and scoff at the Holy Spirit for having published what it is in any way profitable to suppress.John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion III.21.3

But for those who are so cautious or fearful that they desire to bury predestination in order not to disturb weak souls--with what colour will they cloak their arrogance when they accuse God indirectly of stupid thoughtlessness, as if he had not foreseen the peril that they feel they have wisely met? Whoever, then, heaps odium upon the doctrine of predestination openly reproaches God, as if he had unadvisedly let slip something hurtful to the church. -- Calvin Institutes III. 21. 4

Predestination! how remote and dimThy root lies hidden from the intellectWhich only glimpses the First Cause Supreme!And you, ye mortals, keep your judgment checked,Since we, who see God, have not therefore skillTo know yet all the number of the elect."Dante, THE DIVINE COMEDY, translation by Lawrence Binyon, Copyright 1947 Viking Press Paradiso, Canto XX, Lines 130-135

When God calls a man, He does not repent of it. God does not, as many friends do, love one day, and hate another; or a princes, who make their subjects favourites, and afterwards throw them into prison. This is the blessedness of a saint; his condition admits of no alteration. God's call is founded on His decree, and His decree is immutable. Acts of grace cannot be reversed. God blots out his people's sins, but not their names. THOMAS WATSON

BBC says." Abu Qatada is alleged to have played a key role in extremist circles in the UK.The radical Islamist preacher Abu Qatada is to be released on bail within 24 hours, officials say.A senior judge has signed papers authorising the release of Qatada, previously described as Osama Bin Laden's right-hand man in Europe.The Palestinian-Jordanian preacher will be subjected to a 22-hour home curfew and other restrictions on his liberty.Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said she was "disappointed" with the decision, and said the government would appeal.Qatada, once described by a judge as a "truly dangerous individual at the centre of al Qaeda's activities in the UK", is being held in Long Lartin jail in Worcestershire.

I am appealing to the House of Lords to reverse the decision that it is not safe to deport Qatada and the other Jordanian cases. Home Secretary Jacqui SmithLast month the Court of Appeal blocked his deportation to Jordan, where Qatada has been convicted in his absence of involvement in terror attacks.Appeal Court judges feared evidence gained from torture could be used against Qatada in a future trial.RestrictionsOn Tuesday he was granted bail, with strict conditions, by Mr Justice Mitting of the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC).As well as the wearing of an electronic tag, the restrictions include a ban on attending a mosque and leading prayers or religious instruction.Qatada must stay in his West London home for at least 22 hours a day, and cannot attend any kind of meeting. He is also forbidden from using mobile phones, computers or the internet.Police have special permission to enter and search his home while Qatada is banned from having guests other than family and solicitors.Among the people he is banned from meeting in London is Osama bin Laden.Others include bin Laden's deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri and Rachid Ramda, who has been convicted in France of masterminding a series of bombings in 1995.Also named is hate preacher Abu Hamza.

Ms Smith said she was disappointed that Qastada had been been granted bail, even though the conditions were strict ones.She added: "I am appealing to the House of Lords to reverse the decision that it is not safe to deport Qatada and the other Jordanian cases."The Government's priority is to protect public safety and national ecurity and we will take all steps necessary to do so."Wanted manQatada became one of the UK's most wanted men in December 2001 when he went on the run, on the eve of government moves to introduce anti-terror laws allowing suspects to be detained without charge or trial.In October 2002 the authorities tracked him down to a council house in south London and took him to Belmarsh Prison.He was eventually freed on bail in March 2005, but was made the subject of a control order to limit his movements.In August that year he was taken back into custody pending the extradition to Jordan."

The politicians should stop bellyaching. They got us into this mess with their human rights legislation. This man should be deported. He hates the West, so send him somewhere Islamic.

Preaching- christiansquoting.org.uk

Sermonettes make Christianettes

I don't care what people say, Pastor. I like your sermons.

The hungry sheep look up, and are not fed.The hungry sheep, that crave the living Bread.Grow few, and lean, and feeble as can be,When fed not Gospel, but philosophy;Not Love's eternal story, no, not this,But apt allusion, keen analysis.Discourse well framed -- forgot as soon as heard --Man's thin dilution of the living Word.

O Preacher, leave the rhetorician's arts;Preach Christ, the Food of hungry human hearts;Hold fast to science, history, or creed,But preach the Answer to our human need,That in this place, at least, it may be saidNo hungry sheep looks up and is not fed.Robert Hammond Adams (1883-1975) INSCRIPTION FOR A PULPIT

I preached as never sure to preach again,And as a dying man to dying men.Richard Baxter, 1615-1691, Love Breathing Thanks and Praise.

Screw the truth into men's minds.- RICHARD BAXTER (on preaching)

He doth preach most that doth live best. - JOHN BOYS

He preaches well that lives well, quoth Sancho; that's all the divinity I understand.--Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) _Don Quixote_

I may not practice what I preach, but God forbid that I preach what I practice. G K Chesterton

A hot iron, though blunt, will pierce sooner than a cold one, though sharper.- JOHN FLAVEL

The deeds you do today may be the only sermon some people will hear today. . Francis of Assisi

I'd rather see a sermon than hear one any day;I'd rather one should walk with me than merely tell the way. - Edgar Guest

Judas heard all Christ's sermons.-- Thomas Goodwin

The preachers were the true authors of that advance, and among the preachers those were far from being the least influential who mainly devoted themselves to setting forth the Puritan way of life by precept, image and example in pulpit and press rather than to agitation against defiance of law. They and not the doctrinaire controversialists or the martyrs of persecution were the men who did the most in the long run to prepare the temper of the Long Parliament and to spread among their countrymen the characteristic Puritan version of the age-old epic of man's spiritual striving.William Haller The Rise of Puritanism (p. 18)

The worst speak something good; if all want sense,God takes a text, and preacheth Pa-ti-ence.George Herbert

Sir, a woman's preaching is like a dog's walking on his hind legs. It is not done well; but you are surprised to find it done at all. Boswell: Life of Johnson

A good life is a maine Argument.Ben Jonson_Timber: or, Discoveries, made vpon men and matter: as they have flow'd out of his daily Readings ; or had their refluxe to his peculiar Notion of the Times_, 1640 Discoveries, Topic 17, "Probitas. sapientia." ("Honesty and Wisdom")

Far too many relied on the classic formula of a beginning, a muddle, and an end.Philip Larkin (1922-1985) Referring to modern novels; "New Fiction," 15 Jan 1978.

If the preaching of the gospel is not practical, it is not true preaching. - D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Unless the gospel is preached with contemporary relevance it has not been preached. MARTIN LUTHER

A good preacher should have these qualities and virtues: first, to teach systematically; second, he should have a ready wit; third, he should be eloquent; fourth, he should have a good voice; fifth, a good memory; sixth, he should know when to make an end; seventh, he should be sure of his doctrine; eighth, he should venture and engage body and blood, wealth and honor, in the world; ninth, he should suffer himself to be mocked and jeered of everyone.... Martin Luther (1483-1546), Table-Talk

A sermon is not made with an eye upon the sermon, but with both eyes upon the people and all the heart upon God. - JOHN OWEN

The preacher and the writer may seem to have an... easy task. At first sight, it may seem that they have only to proclaim and declare; but in fact, if their words are to enter men's hearts and bear fruit, they must be the right words, shaped cunningly to pass men's defenses and explode silently and effectually within their minds. This means, in practice, turning a face of flint toward the easy cliche, the well-worn religious cant and phraseology -- dear, no doubt, to the faithful, but utterly meaningless to those outside the fold. It means learning how people are thinking and how they are feeling; it means learning with patience, imagination and ingenuity the way to pierce apathy or blank lack of understanding. I sometimes wonder what hours of prayer and thought lie behind the apparently simple and spontaneous parables of the Gospel.... J. B. Phillips (1906-1982), Making Men Whole [1952]

Whatever subject I preach, I do not stop until I reach the Savior, the Lord Jesus, for in Him are all things. CHARLES SPURGEON

There is a limit, for "The Lord knoweth them that are His," but in the preaching of the Gospel we are not bound by the decree which is secret, but by our marching orders, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature; he that believeth and is baptised shall be saved. He who bade me preach to every creature did not bid me exempt one soul from my message. CHARLES SPURGEON

We are not diplomats but prophets, and our message is not a compromise but an ultimatum. --A. W. Tozer

Sound Bible exposition is an imperative must in the Church of the Living God. Without it no church can be a New Testament church in any strict meaning of that term. But exposition may be carried on in such a way as to leave the hearers devoid of any true spiritual nourishment whatever. For it is not mere words that nourish the soul, but God Himself, and unless and until the hearers find God in personal experience they are not the better for having heard the truth. The Bible is not an end in itself, but a means to bring men to an intimate and satisfying knowledge of God, that they may enter into Him, that they may delight in His presence, may taste and know the inner sweetness of the very God Himself in the core and center of their hearts.-A. W. Tozer (1879-

I wonder if you realize that in many ways the preaching of the Word of God is being pulled down to the level of the ignorant and spiritually obtuse; that we must tell stories and jokes and entertain and amuse in order to have a few people in the audience? We do these things that we may have some reputation and that there may be money in the treasury to meet the church bills....In many churches Christianity has been watered down until the solution is so weak that if it were poison it would not hurt anyone, and if it were medicine it would not cure anyone! - A.W. Tozer in I Talk Back to the Devil

When the judge is giving the charge on the bench, all attend. When the Word is preached, the great God is giving us his charge. Do we listen to it as to a matter of life and death? This is a good sign that we love the Word. THOMAS WATSON

[Concerning the Word preached:] "Do we prize it in our judgments? Do we receive in into our hearts? Do we fear the loss of the Word preached more than the loss of peace and trade? Is it the removal of the ark that troubles us? Again, do we attend to the Word with reverential devotion? When the judge is giving the charge on the bench, all attend. When the Word is preached, the great God is giving us his charge. Do we listen to it as to a matter of life and death? This is a good sign that we love the Word. - THOMAS WATSON

We can preach the Gospel of Christ no further than we have experienced the power of it in our own hearts.- George Whitefield journal: 1739

Indeed we are all in peril if the flawed messenger invalidates the message.~ Philip Yancey, Soul Survivor (2001)

If you are a British citizen; sign up!

Take 30 Seconds To Make Gordon Brown Listen

Last Friday the people of Ireland voted to reject the Lisbon Treaty.

But politicians across Europe are refusing to accept the result. They arrogantly insist that the Treaty must go ahead anyway. Despite the no vote, the UK Government is planning to carry on regardless, and ratify the Treaty in the House of Lords on Wednesday.

This is part of an attempt to isolate and bully the people of Ireland.

Please take 30 seconds to send a message to Gordon Brown by signing the petition on the Downing Street website.

Tell Gordon to respect the verdict of the Irish people - and drop the Treaty.

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Abandon-Lisbon/

Many thanks

-----

How politicians are refusing to listen to the no vote

French Europe Minister Jean-Pierre Jouyet says: 'I don't think you can say the treaty of Lisbon is dead even if the ratification process will be delayed.'

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier says: 'We are sticking with our goal for it to come into force. The ratification process must continue.'

European Commission President Jose Barroso says: 'The Treaty is not dead. The Treaty is alive, and we will try to work to find a solution.'

British Foreign Minister David Miliband says: '18 countries have now passed the reform treaty...each country must see the ratification process to a conclusion... there needs to be a British view as well as an Irish view.'

Monday, June 16, 2008

Prayers- christiansquoting.org.uk

Dear Lord, please protect me from your followers.- Bumper Sticker

The Prayer of an American Civil War Soldier

I asked God for strength that I might achieve . . .I was made weak, that I might learn humbly to obey.I asked for health, that I might do greater things . . .I was given infirmity, that I might do better things.I asked for riches, that I might be happy . . .I was given poverty, that I might be wise.I asked for power, that I might have the praise of men . . .I was given weakness, that I might feel the need of God.I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life . . .I was given life, that I might enjoy all things.I got nothing that I asked for,but everything I had hoped for.Almost despite myself,my unspoken prayers were answered.I am, among all,most richly blessed!She had been teaching her three-year-old daughter, the Lord's Prayer. She listened with pride as the little girl carefully enunciated each word, right up to the end of the prayer. "Lead us not into temptation," she prayed, "but deliver us some e-mail. Amen."

0 Lord our God, grant us grace to desire Thee with our whole heart; that, so desiring, we may seek, and seeking find Thee; and so finding Thee may love Thee; and loving Thee, may hate those sins from which Thou hast redeemed us. Anselm (1033-1109)

I have no hope at all but in thy great mercy. Grant what thou commandest and command what thou wilt. Thou dost enjoin on us continence...Truly by continence are we bound together and brought back into that unity from which we were dissipated into a plurality. For he loves thee too little who loves anything together with thee, which he does not love not for thy sake. O love that ever burnest and art never quenched! O Charity, my God, enkindle me! Thou commandest continence. Grant what thou commandest and command what thou wilt. AUGUSTINE, Confessions(X,40)

Give me a stout heart to bear my own burdens. Give me a willing heart to bear the burdens of others. Give me a believing heart to cast all burdens upon Thee, O Lord. ... John Baillie (1886-1960)

I pray you, noble Jesus, that as you have graciously granted me joyfully to imbibe the words of Your Knowledge, so You will also of Your bounty grant me to come at length to Yourself, the fount of all wisdom, and to dwell in Your presence forever.- Bede, Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation, translated by Benjamin Webb

O Lord, who didst this day discover the snares of death that were laid for us, and didst wonderfully deliver us from the same; Be thou still our mightly Protector.Guy Fawkes' Day Liturgy for November 5th, used in The Church of England from 1606 for over 250 years.

We do not presume to come to this thy Table, O merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in thy manifold and great mercies. We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under thy Table. But thou art the same Lord whose property is always to have mercy. Grant us therefore, gracious Lord, so to eat the flesh of thy dear Son Jesus Christ, and to drink his blood, that we may evermore dwell in him, and he in us. Amen. BCP

Almighty God, unto whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love thee, and worthily magnify thy holy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. BCP

From plague, pestilence and famine, good Lord, deliver us. -- Book of Common Prayer 1662

Grant, Almighty God, as at the present time thou dost deservedly chastise us for our sins, according to the example of thine ancient people, that we may turn our face to thee with true penitence and humility: May we throw ourselves suppliantly and prostrately before thee; and, despairing of ourselves, place our only hope in thy pity which thou hast promised. J. Calvin.

O Lord, the faith thou didst give to St. Paul, I cannot ask; the mercy thou didst show to St. Peter; I dare not ask; but Lord, the grace thou didst show unto the dying robber, that, Lord, show to me. -- Copernicus, epitaphof his own composition

Keep us, Lord, so awake in the duties of our callings that we may sleep in Thy peace and wake in Thy glory.--John Donne (1573-1631)

Grant unto me, my Lord, that with peace in mind I may face all that this new day is to bring. Grant unto me grace to surrender myself completely to Thy holy will. Instruct and prepare me in all things for every hour of this day. Whatsoever tidings I may receive during the day, do Thou teach me to accept them calmly, in the firm conviction that all eventualities fulfill Thy holy will. Govern Thou my thoughts and feelings in all I do and say. When things unforseen occur, let me not forget that all cometh down from Thee. Teach me to behave sincerely and reasonable toward every member of my family and all other human beings, that I may not cause confusion and sorrow to anyone. Bestow upon me, my Lord, strength to endure the fatigue of the day and to bear my share in all its passing events. Guide Thou my will and teach me to pray, to believe, to hope, to suffer, to forgive, and to love. Amen. -- "The Jesus Prayer" Eastern Orthodox morning prayer.

Almighty and most merciful Father, I again appear in Thy presence the wretched misspender of another year which Thy mercy has allowed me. O Lord let me not sink into total depravity, look down upon me, and rescue me at last from the captivity of sin. Impart to me good resolutions, and give me strength and perseverance to perform them. Take not from me Thy Holy Spirit, but grant that I may redeem the time lost, and that by temperance and diligence, by sincere repentance and faithful obedience I may finally attain everlasting happiness, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. ... Samuel Johnson (1709-1784)

Almighty and most merciful Father, I am now about to commemorate once more in Thy presence, the redemption of the world by our Lord and Savior Thy Son Jesus Christ. Grant, O most merciful God, that the benefit of His sufferings may be extended to me. Grant me faith, grant me repentance. Illuminate me with Thy Holy Spirit. Enable me to form good purposes, and to bring these purposes to good effect. Let me so dispose my time, that I may discharge the duties to which Thou shalt vouchsafe to call me, and let that degree of health, to which Thy mercy has restored me, be employed to Thy Glory. O God, invigorate my understanding, compose my perturbations, recall my wanderings, and calm my thoughts, that having lived while Thou shalt grant me life, to do good and to praise Thee, I may when Thy call shall summon me to another state, receive mercy from Thee, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. ... Samuel Johnson (1709-1784), Easter, 1771

Teach us, good Lord, to serve Thee as Thou deservest:To give and not to count the cost;To fight and not to heed the wounds;To toil and not to seek for rest;To labor and not ask for any rewardSave that of knowing that we do Thy will.Ignatius of Loyola [1548]

My Heavenly Father, I thank You, through Jesus Christ, Your beloved Son, that You have protected me, by Your grace. Forgive, I pray, all my sins and the evil I have done. Protect me, by Your grace, tonight. I put myself in your care, body and soul and all that I have. Let Your holy angels be with me, so that the evil enemy will not gain power over me. Amen. MARTIN LUTHER, Evening Prayer

Grant that I may not pray alone with the mouth; help me that I may pray from the depths of my heart. Martin Luther

O Christ, my life, possess me utterly.Take me and make a little Christ of me.If I am anything but thy father's son,'Tis something not yet from the darkness won.Oh, give me light to live with open eyes.Oh, give me life to hope above all skies.George Macdonald (1824-1905), Diary of an Old Soul

O God, forgive the poverty and the pettiness of our prayers. Listen not to our words but to the yearnings of our hearts. Hear beneath our petitions the crying of our need. Peter Marshall , prayer, 2 Mar 1948

Lord, when we are wrong, make us willing to change; and when we are right, make us easy to live with. ... Peter Marshall (1902-1949)

There are three small but succinct prayers that can see me through any difficult situation.Lord have mercy.Thee I adore.Into Thy hands.I believe that healing falls in the category of mercy. So does the support of friends.When I consider the ways of God and how mysterious they are, it moves me to worship. And with that perspective, I can trust Him with the future. ~~Melody Monte

God, give us the serenity to accept what cannot be changed; Give us courage to change what should be changed; Give us the wisdom to distinguish one from the other.Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971): "The Serenity Prayer," 1934.

Thanks be to thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, for all the benefits which Thou hast given us; for all the pains and insults which Thou hast borne for us. O most merciful redeemer, friend and brother, may we know thee more clearly, love Thee more dearly, and follow Thee more nearly; For Thine own sake.... Richard of Chichester (1197-1253)

The Lord grant that in this house there may be kept up a gracious succession. May pious sons follow godly fathers, and may the King of our hearts have servants in this family as long as the world stands. Amen. -- Spurgeon

Dubya is here

New tastes

I am indebted to two good presbyterian friends for improving my palette. First, some years ago, Gordon introduced me to the delights of single malt whisky. Gordon had acquired the taste when his employers put in a new computer system for the Distillers Company. I now drink it when i can afford it from time to time. Islay malts with their peaty flavour are my favorites, plus Talisker from Skye but I will drink any Freemans :-) i am no expert. Do single casks really taste superior to cheaper malts?

Bill then introduced me to Belgian beer. IMO English beer is good to quench the thirst, but Belgian is for sipping and savouring. Here is what i brought back from Belgium.

Is there any church discipline in the C of E?

The Telegraph reports, "Male priests marry in Anglican church's first gay 'wedding' By Jonathan Wynne-Jones, Religious Affairs 15/06/2008An Anglican church has held a homosexual "wedding" for the first time in a move that will deepen the rift between liberals and traditionalists, The Sunday Telegraph can disclose.

Two male priests exchanged vows and rings in a ceremony that was conducted using one of the church's most traditional wedding rites – a decision seen as blasphemous by conservatives.

The ceremony broke Church of England guidelines and was carried out last month in defiance of the Bishop of London, in whose diocese it took place. News of the "wedding" emerged days before a crucial summit of the Anglican Church's conservative bishops and archbishops, who are threatening to split the worldwide Church over the issue of homosexual clergy.

Although some liberal clergy have carried out "blessing ceremonies" for homosexual couples in the past, this is the first time a vicar has performed a "wedding ceremony", using a traditional marriage liturgy, with readings, hymns and a Eucharist."

So what will the bishop do? I do not know what liturgy they used but it cannot have been this, , the 1662 rite.

"DEARLY beloved, we are gathered together here in the sight of God, and in the face of this congregation, to join together this Man and this Woman in holy Matrimony; which is an honourable estate, instituted of God in the time of man's innocency, signifying unto us the mystical union that is betwixt Christ and his Church; which holy estate Christ adorned and beautified with his presence, and first miracle that he wrought, in Cana of Galilee; and is commended of Saint Paul to be honourable among all men: and therefore is not by any to be enterprised, nor taken in hand, unadvisedly, lightly, or wantonly, to satisfy men's carnal lusts and appetites, like brute beasts that have no understanding; but reverently, discreetly, advisedly, soberly, and in the fear of God; duly considering the causes for which Matrimony was ordained. First, It was ordained for the procreation of children, to be brought up in the fear and nurture of the Lord, and to the praise of his holy Name. Secondly, It was ordained for a remedy against sin, and to avoid fornication; that such persons as have not the gift of continency might marry, and keep themselves undefiled members of Christ's body. Thirdly, It was ordained for the mutual society, help, and comfort, that the one ought to have of the other, both in prosperity and adversity. Into which holy estate these two persons present come now to be joined. Therefore if any man can shew any just cause, why they may not lawfully be joined together, let him now speak, or else hereafter for ever hold his peace."

Marriage is man and woman and to avoid fornication, not man and man to promote it as in this incident.

Friday, June 13, 2008

Three cheers for Ireland!

BBC says,"Voters in Ireland have rejected the European Union's Lisbon reform treaty in a referendum by 53.4% to 46.6%.The vote is a major blow to leaders in the 27-nation EU, which requires all its members to ratify the treaty. Only Ireland has held a public vote.The European Commission says nations should continue to ratify the treaty, designed to streamline decision-making.Irish PM Brian Cowen said he respected the vote but it had caused a "difficult situation" that had "no quick fix".Leaders of the No campaign said the vote was a "great result for Ireland".An earlier, more wide-ranging EU draft constitution failed after French and Dutch voters rejected it in 2005.The Irish No campaign won by 862,415 votes to 752,451. Turnout was 53.1%.

A referendum was mandatory in Ireland as the country would need to change its constitution to accommodate the treaty.

France and Germany quickly issued a joint statement expressing regret over the Irish result.British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said the UK would press on with ratification, saying: "It's right that we continue with our own process."Spain has said a solution will be found but Czech President Vaclav Klaus said ratification could not now continue.Mr Barroso said EU leaders would have to decide at a summit next week how to proceed.He called for the EU to continue focusing on issues of interest to people like jobs and inflation, energy security and climate change.But BBC Europe editor, Mark Mardell, says this is a multiple crisis for the EU - a crisis of rule change, of legitimacy and of morale.In the end, he says, the Lisbon treaty could be declared dead: some parts of it would be implemented without a treaty, others abandoned, others put in a new treaty when Croatia joins the EU in a couple of years time.Declan Ganley of the anti-treaty lobby group Libertas said: "It is a great day for Irish democracy."He added: "This is democracy in action... and Europe needs to listen to the voice of the people."The No campaign was a broad coalition ranging from Libertas to Sinn Fein, the only party in parliament to oppose the treaty.Gerry Adams, the president of Sinn Fein, said: "People feel secure at the heart of Europe, but they want to ensure there's maximum democratic power."?

The most vigorously persecuted

The Christian Institute says, "Gordon Brown’s Government is discriminating against Christianity in favour of other religions, says an official Church of England report.

It accuses Labour of failing to acknowledge the breakdown in society and excluding vital Christian voices.

The report, which has been endorsed by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, states: “We encountered on the part of the Government a significant lack of understanding, or interest in, the Church of England’s current or potential contribution in the public sphere.

“Indeed we were told that Government had consciously decided to focus…almost exclusively on minority religions.”

It adds: “Every participant in our study from the Church agreed that there was deep ‘religious illiteracy’ on the part of the Government.”

The report echoes comments made recently by the Bishop of Rochester, Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali, who said the dismantling of Christian values has left a ‘moral vacuum’ which will be filled by radical Islam.

Rather than refuting the Church of England’s accusations the Communities Minister, Hazel Blears, said it was “common sense” for the Government to pay more attention to Islam than Christianity.

She told BBC Radio 4’s Sunday programme: “It’s just common sense. I would put it as simply as that. If you have a situation where you need to build the resilience of young Muslim men and women to be able to withstand an extremist message then of course you do that kind of work, but it doesn’t mean you do it exclusively.”

Following news that two Christians in the Alum Rock area of Birmingham were told by police officers: “you can’t preach here, this is a Muslim area”, Rod Liddle wrote in the Spectator that evangelical Christians have become “the most vigorously persecuted and least protected” group in the country."

Change is possible

Christian Institute says,"A former homosexual has leapt to the defence of under-fire psychiatrist, Dr Paul Miller, saying therapy helped him leave his gay life.

Dr Miller has found himself in the middle of a storm after Iris Robinson MP referred to his work helping people who suffer unwanted same-sex attraction.

She made her comments on a BBC Northern Ireland radio interview last week, saying therapy can help homosexuals change to become heterosexual.

Since then Dr Miller has been slammed in the news media by homosexual activists but others have supported his work.

Now forty-year-old James Parker, who lives in London, praised Dr Miller and said he thought everyone who wishes to avail of his services should have the freedom to do so.

“I have had several sessions with Dr Miller in my journey,” said Mr Parker in the Belfast Newsletter. “I came out as a young gay man at 17 in London without any hostility from anyone and was very active in the gay lifestyle.”

Later he met a group of Christians. “I learnt it was possible to have friendships which were non-sexual,” he said.

“I saw this new community which was centred around other people and I noticed the community I was in was narcissistic and self-centred in comparison. I began to question my identity - was it simply my sexual orientation?

“Through therapy I began to deal with some traumatic incidents in my past where I had been raped and sexually abused. I had found sexual abuse gave me human attention but in a perverted sort of way.”

Mr Parker has now been happily married for two years. “I don’t have homosexual feelings any longer,” he said.

“I can recognise a good looking man but I am no longer attracted to them because I have the affirmation that I am a strong male.

“If people want to explore the journey of orientation therapy counselling it is important it is readily available within safe boundaries,” he said. “I have seen it work with too many people to turn back and reject it.”"

Good on you Mrs Robinson!

The Christian Institute reports, Tuesday, 10 June 2008"There is a “witch hunt” against Christians who declare their beliefs on homosexual practice, says the Ulster MP reported to police for expressing the Bible’s teaching on sexual ethics.

Iris Robinson, DUP MP for Strangford, used the biblical term “abomination” to describe the practice of homosexuality on a radio programme last Friday. A complaint was made to the police.

Last night Mrs Robinson, wife of First Minister Peter Robinson, told the BBC: “I am defending the word of God.

“I think at the moment there is a witch hunt to curb or actually stop or prevent Christians speaking out and I make no apology for what I said because it’s the word of God.”

Mrs Robinson pointed out that her criticism was directed at the practice of homosexuality, rather than homosexuals themselves.

“I was very careful in saying that I have nothing against any homosexual,” she said. “I love them; that is what the Lord tells me, to love the sinner and not the sin.”

The complaint to police against Iris Robinson is the latest in a series of attempts to prevent Christians from expressing their orthodox beliefs on homosexuality.

Roman Catholic adoption agencies that have existed for many years, successfully finding loving homes for children, face closure because they won’t place children with homosexual couples. One agency in Westminister is fighting the matter.

A Christian registrar in Islington is facing the sack because of her religious beliefs on marriage. An employment tribunal will decide later this month whether she is being discriminated against.

A few weeks ago homosexual campaigners said they wanted the Earl of Devon’s castle to be slapped with a huge inheritance tax bill because he won’t allow civil partnership ceremonies to take place there.

In 2003 the Anglican Bishop of Chester who was investigated by police because he gave an interview to his local paper pointing to research showing that some homosexuals had changed to heterosexuality.

In 2005 Police questioned the family-values campaigner, Lynette Burrows, after she expressed the view on BBC Radio 5 Live that homosexual men may not be suitable for raising children.

In 2006 Sir Iqbal Sacranie, then head of the Muslim Council of Britain, was investigated by police after he said on BBC Radio 4’s PM Programme that the practice of homosexuality is not acceptable.

None of these investigations resulted in any charges.

In December 2006 Lancashire police settled out of court with a pensioner couple who had been investigated by officers because they criticised their local council’s ‘gay rights’ policy.

The police admitted their actions were wrong and changed their policies to take more account of religious liberty and free speech."

42 days

For once I am with Brown and it seems Joe Public. Yes I hate the erosion of liberty under statist government, but this one is about terrorism. It is about murderous Islamists. It was the first English terrorist, Guy Fawkes, who said that desperate diseases require desperate remedies. His was gunpowder. Ours is in part 42 days. It should include a lot more when mosques are places for the spread of radicalism. Let the Religion of Peace root out the evil in its midst and we will be a lot happier.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

From The National Director, Christian Voice

Hazel Blears MP has rubbished a Church of England report which accuses the Government of paying 'lip-service' to Christianity. The Rt Rev Stephen Lowe, Bishop for Urban Life and Faith, said afterwards: “She said 'we live in a secular democracy'. That comes as news to me – we have an established Church, but the Government can’t deal with Christianity.” Good on him. And we have a Christian Constitution, a majority-Christian population and a Christian monarch anointed and crowned in a Christian ceremony after making a Christian committment. Let's pray this United Kingdom at every level would honour the Lord Jesus Christ and live out the historic faith of this land.

The (TV) interviewer had asked him about the vows of celibacy and, said the cardinal: "I felt the blood drain from my body . . . I had no idea where this would lead. I said a quiet prayer to the Holy Ghost and waited for my inevitable execution. " 'Imagine,' he said, 'that you were in a crowded room and suddenly . .the most beautiful woman you had ever seen walked into that room. What would your feelings be as a man - not as a bishop or a priest?' "It was then that the Holy Ghost took a firm hold. I replied: ' I hope you're as happily married to your wife as I am to the Church. So the only way I can think of answering your question is by inviting you to imagine yourself standing next to your beloved wife in a crowded room when suddenly the most beautiful woman you have ever seen .' I didn't have to finish. There was spontaneous applause from the studio audience." NEIL BALFOUR on Basil Hume in The Times January 14 1999

True prayer is asking God what He wants. --William Barclay

Prayer is a wine which makes glad the heart of man.-- Bernard of Clairvaux (1091-1153)

The evidence of God's "Expect more" message is evident even within the short time frame of the New Testament. For example, Jesus never mentioned "giving thanks" in the Lord's Prayer. But Paul did! In Phil. 4:6, Paul not only advised Christians to pray with thanksgiving, but to "pray about everything!" Jesus didn't ask us to ask God for "wisdom" when we pray; but James did! [Jas 1:5] Jesus' model prayer never included the provision for asking God to heal the sick. But James 5:13 gives us sanction to do exactly that in our prayers. And no Christian, praying with a burden for others, to my knowledge, has ever hesitated over whether he should ask for God's help in doing a hundred other tasks, just because Jesus' Model Prayer never instituted it.- William D Blake

The last and highest result of prayer is not the securing of this or that gift, the avoiding of this or that danger. The last and highest result of prayer is the knowledge of God -- the knowledge which is eternal life -- and by that knowledge, the transformation of human character, and of the world. ... George John Blewett

There are whole periods when you are neither at the bottom of the sea nor at the top of the peak, when you have to do something about praying, and that is the period when you cannot pray from spontaneity but you can pray from conviction.-Anthony Bloom

I have often felt things in study so plainly given me, not at all like the products of my own skill, that this is the way in which I account for them. The Lord sends them because of people praying for me. - Andrew Bonar s journal: DECEMBER 18, 1846

The great danger facing all of us... is not that we shall make an absolute failure of life, nor that we shall fall into outright viciousness, nor that we shall be terribly unhappy, nor that we shall feel [that] life has no meaning at all -- not these things. The danger is that we may fail to perceive life's greatest meaning, fall short of its highest good, miss its deepest and most abiding happiness, be unable to tender the most needed service, be unconscious of life ablaze with the light of the Presence of God -- and be content to have it so -- that is the danger: that some day we may wake up and find that always we have been busy with husks and trappings of life and have really missed life itself. For life without God, to one who has known the richness and joy of life with Him, is unthinkable, impossible. That is what one prays one's friends may be spared -- satisfaction with a life that falls short of the best, that has in it no tingle or thrill that comes from a friendship with the Father. Phillips Brooks (1835-1893), Sermons

The best and sweetest flowers of Paradise God gives to his people when they are upon their knees. Prayer is the gate of heaven, a key to let us in to Paradise.- Thomas Brooks

God looks not at the elegancy of your prayers, to see how neat they are; nor yet at the geometry of your prayers, to see how long they are; nor yet at the arithmetic of your prayers, to see how many they are; nor yet at the music of your prayers, nor yet at the sweetness of your voice, nor yet at the logic of your prayers; but at the sincerity of your prayers, how hearty they are. There is no prayer acknowledged, approved, accepted, recorded, or rewarded by God, but that wherein the heart is sincerely and wholly. The true mother would not have the child divided. God loves a broken and a contrite heart, so He loathes a divided heart. God neither loves halting or halving.- Thomas Brooks

Prayer is nothing but the breathing that out before the Lord, that was first breathed into us by the Spirit of the Lord.- Thomas Brooks

Believer, closet prayer will be found to be but a lifeless, comfortless thing, if you do not enjoy communion with God in it. That should be the very soul of all your closet duties, therefore press after it, as for life; when you go into your closet banish every thing that can hinder your enjoyment of Christ. - THOMAS BROOKS

Though our private desires are ever so confused, though our private requests are ever so broken, and though our private groanings are ever so hidden from men, yet God eyes them, records them, and puts them upon the file of heaven, and will one day crown them with glorious answers and returns.- THOMAS BROOKS

When thou prayest, rather let thy heart be without words than thy words be without heart.- John Bunyan

He who runs from God in the morning will scarcely find him the rest of the day. John Bunyan

Pray often; for prayer is a shield to the soul, a sacrifice to God, and a scourge for Satan. -- John Bunyan

You can do more than pray, after you have prayed, but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed.-- John Bunyan

Prayer will make a man cease from sin, or sin will entice a man to cease from prayer.-- John Bunyan

Prayer opens the heart to God, and it is the means by which the soul, though empty, is filled by God.-- John Bunyan

And O! be sure to fear the Lord alway,And mind your duty, duly, morn and night;Lest in temptation's path ye gang astray,Implore His counsel and assisting might:They never sought in vain that sought the Lord aright.Robert Burns, The Cotter's Saturday Night

I have made it a rule to go out and sit . . . at four o'clock every morning and ask the good Lord what I am to do that day. Then I go ahead and do it. - Carver, George Washington.

There is a communion of men with God by which, having entered the heavenly sanctuary, appeal to him in person concerning his promises in order to experience, where necessity so demands, that what they believed was not in vain, although he had promised it in word alone. John Calvin

God tolerates even our stammering, and pardons our ignorance whenever something inadvertently escapes us -- as, indeed, without this mercy there would be no freedom to pray. John Calvin (1509-1564)

As a physician, I have seen men, after all other therapy has failed, lifted out of disease and melancholy by the serene effort of prayer. It is the only power in the world that seems to overcome the so-called "laws of nature"; the occasions on which prayer has dramatically done this have been termed "miracles". But a constant, quieter miracle takes place hourly in the hearts of men and women who have discovered that prayer supplies them with a steady flow of sustaining power in their daily lives. -- Alexis Carrel (1873-1944)

I have had prayers answered - most strangely sometimes - but Ithink our heavenly Father's loving kindness has been even more evident in what He has refused me. ~ Lewis Carroll

You say grace before meals. All right. But I say grace before the concert and the opera, and grace before the play and pantomime, and grace before I open a book, and grace before sketching, painting, swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing and grace before I dip the pen in the ink.- G. K. Chesterton

Keep praying, but be thankful that God's answers are wiser than your prayers. ~ William Culbertson

For those who have hidden fellowship with God,life is a continuous feast. --S G Degraff Promise and Deliverance vol 3,p 153

I throw myself down in my chamber, and I call in, and invite God, and his Angels thither, and when they are there, I neglect God and his Angels, for the noise of a fly, for the rattling of a coach, for the whining of a door. -- John Donne

Once as I rode out into the woods for my health, in 1737, having alighted from my horse in a retired place, as my manner commonly had been to walk for divine contemplation and prayer, I had a view that for me was extraordinary, of the glory of the Son of God. As near as I can judge, this continued about an hour; and kept me the greater part of the time in a flood of tears and weeping aloud. I felt an ardency of soul to be what I know not otherwise how to express, emptied and annihilated; to love Him with a pure and holy love; to serve and follow Him; to be perfectly sanctified and made pure with a divine and heavenly purity.Jonathan Edwards

I would exhort those who have entertained a hope of their being true converts--and who since their supposed conversion have led off the duty of secret prayer, and ordinarily allow themselves in the omission of it--to throw away their hope. If you have left off calling upon God, it is time for you to leave off hoping and flattering yourselves with an imagination that you are the children of God.-- Jonathan Edwards

Prayer is as natural an expression of faith as breathing is of life.-- Jonathan Edwards

Conversation between God and mankind in this world, is maintained by God's Word on his part, and by prayer on ours. By the former, he speaks and expresses his mind to us; by the latter, we speak and express our minds to him. Sincere friendship towards God, in all who believe him to be properly an intelligent, willing being, does most apparently, directly, and strongly incline to prayer; and it no less disposes the heart strongly to desire to have our infinitely glorious and gracious Friend expressing his mind to us by his word, that we may know it. -- Jonathan Edwards

God is always present, always available. At whatever moment in which one turns to him the prayer is received, is heard, is authenticated, for it is God who gives our prayer its value and its character, not our interior dispositions, not our fervor, not our lucidity. The prayer which is pronounced for God and accepted by him becomes, by that very fact, a true prayer.... Jacques Ellul, Prayer and Modern Man, p.17 [1973].

The air which we breathe, the bread which we eat, the heart which throbs in our bosoms, are not more necessary for man that he may live as a human being, than is prayer for the Christian that he may live as a Christian. John Eudes

There are some favors the Almighty does not grant either the first, or the second, or the third time you ask him, because he wishes you to pray for a long time and often. He wills this delay to keep you in a state of humility and self-contempt and make you realize the value of his graces. John Eudes

There are some favors the Almighty does not grant either the first, or the second, or the third time you ask him, because he wishes you to pray for a long time and often. He wills this delay to keep you in a state of humility and self-contempt and make you realize the value of his graces. John Eudes

Oh, study your hearts, watch your hearts, keep your hearts! Away with empty names and vain shows; away with unprofitable discourse and bold censures of others. Turn in upon yourselves, get into your closets, and now resolve to dwell there. You have been strangers to this work too long; you have kept other vineyards too long; you have trifled about the borders of religion too long. Will you now resolve to look better to your hearts? Will you hate and come out of the crowds of business and clamors of the world and retire yourselves more than you have done? Oh, that this day you would resolve upon it! - JOHN FLAVEL

I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth--that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid? --Benjamin Franklin, debates in the Constitutional Convention, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, June 28, 1787.&emdash;James Madison, Journal of the Federal Convention, ed. E. H. ScottA check of the record shows that Franklin was trying to break the angry stalemate about representation of the smaller states by urging that the delegates start the next day by having someone come in to say prayers.The convention adjourned for the day without acting on the idea. On thesurviving copy of his motion (Franklin was weak and had it written outto be read aloud by someone else), Franklin wrote:The convention, except three or four persons, thought prayer unnecessary.-- Max Farrand (ed.), _The Records of the Federal Convention of 1787_ (June 27)William C. Waterhouse

Prayer...the key of the day and the lock of the night- Thomas Fuller

I'd rather see a sermon than hear one any day;I'd rather one should walk with me than merely tell the way. - Edgar Guest

Those blessings are sweetest that are won with prayers and worn with thanks.-- Thomas Goodwin

The quiet hour of prayer is one of the most favorable opportunities he has in which to speak to us seriously. In quietude and solitude before the face of God, our souls can hear better than at any other time." - O.Hallesby

It is not necessary to maintain a conversation when we are in the presence of God. We can come into His presence and rest our weary souls in quiet contemplation of Him. Our groanings, which cannot be uttered, rise to Him and tell Him better than words how dependent we are upon Him.... O. Hallesby, Prayer [1931]

A godly father, sitting on a draughtTo do as need and nature hath us taught,Mumbled (as was his manner) certain prayers,And unto him the devil straight repairs,And boldly to revile him he begins,Alleging that such prayers were deadly sinsAnd that he shewed he was devoid of graceTo speak to God from so unmeet a place.

The reverent man, though at the first dismayed,Yet strong in faith, to Satan thus he said:Thou damned spirit, wicked, false and lying,Despairing thine own good, and ours envying,Each take his due, and me thou canst not hurt,To God my prayer 1 meant, to thee the dirt.Pure prayer ascends to Him that high doth sit,Down falls the filth, for fiends of hell more fit.Sir John Harington *Metamorphosis of Ajax*

If a church wants a better pastor, it can get one by praying for the one it has. Robert E. Harris

It is ours to offer what we can, His to supply what we cannot. -- . Jerome

I have now spent fifty-five years in resolving: having, from the earliest time almost that I can remember, been forming plans of a better life. I have done nothing. The need of doing, therefore, is pressing, since the time of doing is short. O GOD, grant me to resolve aright, and to keep my resolutions, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. Samuel Johnson

Madness frequently discovers itself merely by unnecessary deviation from the usual modes of the world. My poor friend Smart showed the disturbance of his mind, by falling upon his knees, and saying his prayers in the street, or in any other unusual place. Now although, rationally speaking, it is greater madness not to pray at all, than to pray as Smart did, I am afraid there are so many who do not pray that their understanding is not called in question.- Samuel Johnson (Boswell: Life of Johnson)

It is enough if we have stated seasons of prayer; no matter when. A man may as well pray when he mounts his horse, or a woman when she milks her cow, as at meals; and custom is to be followed.- Samuel Johnson (Boswell: Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides)

Prayer is not overcoming God's reluctance. It is laying hold of His willingness. This is our Lord's will, ... that our prayer and our trust be, alike, large. For if we do not trust as much as we pray, we fail in full worship to our Lord in our prayer; and also wehinder and hurt ourselves. The reason is that we do not know truly that our Lord is the ground from which our prayer springeth; nor do we know that it is given us by his grace and his love. If we knew this, it would make us trust to have of our Lord's gifts all that we desire. For I am sure that no man asketh mercy and grace with sincerity, without mercy and grace being given to him first.-- Juliana of Norwich (1342?-1417), Revelations of Divine Love

Prayer can no more be divorced from worship than life can be divorced from breathing. If we follow his impulse, the Holy Spirit will always lead us to pray. When we allow him to work freely, he will always bring the Church to extensive praying. Conversely, when the Spirit is absent, we will find excuses not to pray. We may say, "God understands. He knows I love him. But I'm tired . . . I'm so busy . . . It's just not convenient now . . ." When the Spirit is absent, our excuses always seem right, but in the presence of the Spirit our excuses fade away K. T. Kendall

There is nothing that makes us love a man so much as praying for him. --William Law (1686-1761)

I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had absolutely no other place to go. -- Abraham Lincoln

The prayer of faith is the instrument which releases the mighty acts of the risen Christ in history.- Richard Lovelace, (Dynamics of Spiritual Life, p. 156)

Our prayers may be awkward. Our attempts may be feeble. But since the power of prayer is in the one who hears it and not in the one who says it, our prayers do make a difference. ~ Max Lucado

Pray, and let God worry. Martin Luther

Whenever I happen to be prevented by the press of duties from observing my hour of prayer, the entire day is bad for me. MARTIN LUTHER

All who call on God in true faith, earnestly from the heart, will certainly be heard, and will receive what they have asked and desired, although not in the hour or in the measure, or the very thing which they ask; yet they will obtain something greater and more glorious than they had dared to ask. ... Martin Luther (1483-1546)

'When Luther's puppy [n. 116, Luther's dog Tölpel is mentioned again and again in the Table Talk.] happened to be at the table, looked for a morsel from his master, and watched with open mouth and motionless eyes, he [Martin Luther] said, "Oh, if I could only pray the way this dog watches the meat! All his thoughts are concentrated on the piece of meat. Otherwise he has no thought, wish, or hope.Luther's Works, Volume 54, Table Talk (Philadelphia: 1967), pp. 37, 38. May 18, 1532

I have so much to do (today) that I should spend the first three hours in prayer. ... Martin Luther (1483-1546)

Hunger may drive the runaway child home, and he may or may not be fed at home; but he needs his mother more than his dinner. Communion with God is the one need of the soul beyond all other need: prayer is the beginning of that communion, and some need is the motive of that prayer... So begins a communion, a talking with God, a coming-to-one with Him, which is the sole end of prayer, yea, of existence itself in its infinite phases. We must ask that we may receive; but that we should receive what we ask in respect of our lower needs, is not God's end in making us pray, for He could give us everything without that: to bring His child to His knee, God withholds that man may ask.... George MacDonald (1824-1905), "The Word of Jesus on Prayer"

Rose early to seek God and found Him whom my soul loveth. Who would not rise early to meet such company?'Robert Murray McCheyne, journal: 23.2.1834.

If I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room, I would not fear a million enemies. Yet distance makes no difference. He is praying for me.... Robert Murray M'Cheyne (1813-1843)

God will either give you what you ask, or something far better.... Robert Murray M'Cheyne (1813-1843)

The great tragedy of life is not unanswered prayer, but unoffered prayer.--F.B. Meyer

Every evening I turn my troubles over to God - He's going to be up all night anyway. -- Donald J. Morganp

I can hardly recollect a single plan of mine, of which I have not since seen reason to be satisfied, that had it taken place in season and circumstance just as I proposed, it would, humanly speaking, have proved my ruin; or at least it would have deprived me of the greater good the Lord had designed for me. We judge of things by their present appearances, but the Lord sees them in their consequences, if we could do so likewise we should be perfectly of His mind; but as we cannot, it is an unspeakable mercy that He will manage for us, whether we are pleased with His management or not; and it is spoken of as one of his heaviest judgments, when He gives any person or people up to the way of their own hearts, and to walk after their own counsels. JOHN NEWTON

How great and honorable is the privilege of a true believer! That he has neither wisdom nor strength in himself is no disadvantage, for he is connected with infinite wisdom and almighty power. John Newton, letter: 23.2.1775

"What Thou wilt, when Thou wilt, how Thou wilt." I had rather speak these three sentences from my heart in my mother tongue than be master of all the languages in Europe.-- John Newton, letter: 23. 4.1779

The discussion of prayer is so great that it requires the Father to reveal it, His firstborn Word to teach it, and the Spirit to enable us to think and speak rightly of so great a subject.... Origen (c.185-c.254)

No heart can conceive that treasury of mercies which lies in this one privilege, in having liberty and ability to approach unto God at all times, according to His mind and will. John Owen (1616-1683)

He who prays as he ought will endeavour to live as he prays. ... John Owen (1616-1683)

A minister may fill his pews, his communion roll, the mouths of the public, but what that minister is on his knees in secret before God Almighty, that he is and no more. JOHN OWEN

If we would talk less and pray more about them, things would be be better than they are in the world; at least, we should be better enabled to bear them. JOHN OWEN

We implore the mercy of God, not that He may leave us at peace in our vices, but that He may deliver us from them.... Blaise Pascal (1623-1662)

Perhaps one reson God delays His answers to our prayers is because He knows we need to be with Him far more than we need the things we ask of Him. ~ Ben Patterson

Nothing is too great and nothing is too small to commit into the hands of the Lord. ... A. W. Pink (1886-1952)

Happiest are they who mix prayer and toil, until God answers the one and rewards the other. --Irenaeus Prime

God may not always come when you call Him, but He's ALWAYS right on time. --Sydney Redoble

Let prayer be the key of the day, and the bolt of the night.-- Jean Paul Richter.

Dry wells send us to the fountain. Samuel Rutherford

I have been benefited by praying for others; for by making an errand to God for them I have gotten something for myself.- S. Rutherford

Fear not because your prayer is stammering, your words feeble, and your language poor. Jesus can understand you. Just as a mother understands the first lispings of her infant, so does the blessed Savior understand sinners. He can read a sigh, and see a meaning in a groan. ... J. C. Ryle (1816-1900), "A Call to Prayer"

Faith is to the soul what life is to the body. Prayer is to faith what breath is to the body. How a person can live and not breathe is past my comprehension, and how a person can believe and not pray is past my comprehension too. ... J. C. Ryle, "A Call to Prayer"

To be prayerless is to be without God, without Christ, without grace, without hope, and without heaven. ... J. C. Ryle (1816-1900), "A Call to Prayer"

The essence of prayer does not consist in asking God for something but in opening our hearts to God, in speaking with Him, and living with Him in perpetual communion. Prayer is continual abandonment to God. Prayer does not mean asking God for all kinds of things we want; it is rather the desire for God Himself, the only Giver of Life. Prayer is not asking, but union with God. Prayer is not a painful effort to gain from God help in the varying needs of our lives. Prayer is thedesire to possess God Himself, the Source of all life. The true spirit of prayer does not consist in asking for blessings, but in receiving Him who is the giver of all blessings, and in living a life of fellowship with Him... Sadhu Sundar Singh (1889-1929)

How often we say about our earthly friends, 'I really would like to have a good quiet settled talk with them so that I can really get to know them.' And shouldn't we feel the same about our Heavenly Friend, that we may really get to know Him? These thoughts have taught me the importance of the children of God taking time to commune daily with their Father, so that they may get to know His mind and to understand better what His will is." -Hannah Whitall Smith, (1832-1911), journal entry of 7/6/1859[M.E. Dieter, ed. CHRISTIAN'S SECRET OF THE HOLY LIFE: UNPUBLISHED PERSONAL WRITINGS OF HANNAH WHITALL SMITH (Zondervan, 1994), p.21]

[to his 12 yr. old son, Charles] Dear boy, I should like you to preach, but it is best that you pray. Many a preacher has proved a castaway, but never one person who had truly learned to pray. C. H. Spurgeon. Letters, p.103

Frequently we pray that God would not forsake us in the hour of trial and temptation, but we too much forget that we have need to use this prayer at all times. There is no moment of our life, however holy, in which we can do without His constant upholding. Whether in light or in darkness, in communion or in temptation, we alike need the prayer, "Forsake me not, O Lord." "Hold Thou me up, and I shall be safe.--C. H. Spurgeon Meditation for This Morning Monday, May 25

Whether we like it or not, asking is the rule of the Kingdom. --Charles H. Spurgeon (1834-1892)

Oh, I wish that God had not given me what I prayed for! It was not so good as I thought! - Johanna Spyri (1827 &endash; 1901)

More things are wrought by prayerThan this world dreams of.Wherefore, let thy voiceRise like a fountain for me night and day.For what are men better than sheep or goatsThat nourish a blind life within the brain,If, knowing God, they lift not hands of prayerBoth for themselves and those who call them friend?For so the whole round earth is every wayBound by gold chains about the feet of God.Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809-1892)The life of prayer is just love to God, and the custom of being ever with Him.... Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)

The truth is that God always answers the prayer that accords with His will as revealed in the Scriptures, provided the one who prays is obedient and trustful. Further than this we dare not go. --A. W. Tozer

Prayer is never an acceptable substitute for obedience. The sovereign Lord accepts no offering from His creatures that is not accompanied by obedience.A. W. Tozer

Have you noticed how much praying for revival has been going on of late -- and how little revival has resulted? I believe the problem is that we have been trying to substitute praying for obeying, and it simply will not work. To pray for revival while ignoring the plain precept laid down in Scripture is to waste a lot of words and get nothing for our trouble. Prayer will become effective when we stop using it as a substitute for obedience.... A. W. Tozer (1897-1963)

Anyone can lead a "prayer-life" -- that is, the sort of reasonable devotional life to which each is called by God. This only involves making a suitable rule and making up your mind to keep it however boring this may be.... Evelyn Underhill (1875-1941)

Jesus Christ was more willing to go to the cross, than we are to the throne of grace. Thomas Watson

Go to bed seasonably, and rise early. Redeem your precious time: pick up the fragments of it, that not one moment of it may be lost. Be much in secret prayer. Converse less with man, and more with God. GEORGE WHITEFIELD

Venture daily upon Christ, go out in His strength, and He will enable you to do wonders.-George Whitefield , letter: 26 July 1741